4 reasons self-care is necessary
written by Jasmine Irven
Self-care isn’t optional, but we often view it that way — we put ourselves last on our to-do list, drop our workout or meditation practise from our schedule when things get hectic, we say yes to things to keep others happy when internally our body is whispering (and eventually maybe yelling) at us to stop!
My body tells me to slow down in a few ways: feeling tired in the morning even after having got what “should be” enough sleep, not being as motivated to work on my businesses, visible inflammation (for me acne), and not wanting to do the self-care practises I know make me feel better.
These are the times I used to lean more into work, thinking if I reached some end goal of number of things completed I would feel better and *then* would have time for the self-care, the rest, the cooking cooking, the yoga and meditation classes, and on and on.
Need flash that doesn’t work!! You’ll only get more burnt out.
Instead, these are the times we need to lean on self-care more. Giving ourselves time to rest and unwind. 💛
Instead, we need to look at how we can fit self-care into the spaces of our day now before our body starts yelling at us!!
Whether it’s a morning walk, an evening meditation class or a few extra minutes in between appointments and Zoom calls to breathe or move around, give yourself space!!
Your body will thank you. 💛
In case I haven’t convinced you, here are 4 reasons self-care is necessary.
via Domain.com.au
you can’t pour from an empty cup
You’ve likely heard this saying before but have you truly embodied it? Do you know what it looks like for you specifically to feel like you’re completely drained and have nothing to give? Like you’ve given all of your energy and time away to others and left nothing for yourself?
Recognize what that looks like for you and you’ll be able to start to figure out where to draw the line. Yes it’s important and often fulfilling to give to others, but when you start to feel like you have nothing to give back to yourself, you need to lean into self-care.
You simply cannot sustain a life where you are always giving and never taking time to receive. Your energy will be impacted, your stress levels will be impacted, and your health will be impacted.
Eventually, your cup will empty unless you consciously turn back on the tap.
Make a list of what gives you energy and what takes your energy. Start to look at how you can create harmony between the two.
chronic stress is unsustainable
Our stress response stems from our ancestors who lived in caves and dealt with the threat of a bear or tiger attack. They needed to be able to respond quickly to survive and therefore the body developed numerous mechanisms within what’s commonly called the stress response that humans could lean on in times of danger.
All of our efforts in that moment of stress go to making sure we can flee, fight or freeze to stay safe. Our digestion halts and our immune response is suppressed because we need to focus on the specific danger of the moment — not whether we get sick in a few days. Our adrenaline spikes, our pupils dilate, cortisol rises and we put all of our energy into protecting ourselves.
Granted, this is super powerful and important if we are in a life threatening situation.
However, nowadays most of us experience this response chronically. We’re stressed about a break-up, that someone hasn’t responded to our text, that we don’t know what our life’s purpose is or if we’re in the right place in life (side note you are), you’re worrying about a test you have tomorrow or ruminating on something “dumb” you said the day before, continuously replaying it in your head, and the result is what was supposed to be a temporary response to a situation that would last a minute or maybe an hour, has now pervaded our daily lives.
There aren’t quick solutions; we can’t simply run away from these stresses, and there aren’t clean yes or no answers that give us the ability to check situations off of our to-do list and move on.
Instead, we need to intentionally curate times in our day to slow down and take a break. Simply taking a few deep breaths does wonders for moving our body from this fight or flight response and into one of digestion, relaxation, and of being present.
We need to separate ourselves from the external world and reconnect with ourselves in order to remember what’s truly important to us and what we came here to experience.
This isn’t about avoiding our stresses and problems, but it is about recognizing which ones are real and require our attention and which ones we are potentially creating for ourselves.
Where are we over-booking and over-committing?
Where are we creating overwhelm for ourselves by putting 10 things on our to-do list when realistically we can only do 3 in a day?
Where are we putting the pressures of comparison on ourselves, when we need to simply accept where we are in our lives (while yes, still recognizing we can and should move forward, but in our own time and in our own way)?
Where are we replaying things in our mind that simply aren’t helpful rather than leaning into acceptance and finding the lessons in past events?
Where are we creating scenarios in our mind about the future that we have absolutely no control over?
When you make time for self-care and rest, these answers come easier. You remember what’s truly important. What brings you joy and what makes you laugh. You reduce your stress and instead move into feelings of love and gratitude for your life as it is.
it reconnects us with ourselves
Ever gotten a great idea in the shower? Or on the walk you took where you forgot your phone and so you simply listened to nature?
We spend so much time constantly consuming that we rarely give ourselves time to think or process our own beliefs, thoughts and feelings.
Our intuition (our higher self) is always trying to speak to us and remind us to listen to ourselves, what we’re here to do and what our next move is, the gifts we have to share with the world, and who we are at our core.
The problem is when we’re constantly taking in everyone else’s thoughts, opinions, and beliefs, we start to question and lose touch with our own.
Self-care offers the opportunity to reconnect with ourselves. To disconnect from everything external and instead: lean into our purpose(s), listen to our intuition, delve into creativity that’s unique to us and feels food to us, and rediscover and explore our desires.
All of this helps us to find direction and fulfilment in our lives, finding harmony between where we are right now (and having gratitude for that), while still working towards the bigger goals, impact, and mission that is meant for us.
it’s enjoyable
Self-care doesn’t look the same for everyone, because everyone is unique. There isn’t a certain way to “do” self-care, or a specific way it needs to look, or a specific amount of time you need to do it for.
Instead, it’s about giving yourself time to explore what feels good to you.
Going back to the concept of energy, what is it that really makes you feel good and gives you energy? How can you spend more time in those areas?
The bottom line is that although there are ton of reasons to practice self-care, you shouldn’t need any validation or reasoning other than because it feels fricking good!
If you feel better when you do something (and you aren’t hurting anyone else), you should just do it. No explanation needed.
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about the author
Hey there! I’m Jasmine, founder of the Sustainable Bliss Collective, a Certified Meditation Teacher, and lover of all things self-care, slow-living, and personal development.
I believe that ambition and self-care can coexist, and as such I hope to encourage and inspire you to take care of yourself, breathe deeply, connect with who you are, manifest your dreams, enjoy the blissful moments of each day, and make an impact in this beautiful world we call home.
Connect with me on Instagram here!
